Pope visit affects capital’s mobility

THE NEWS With less than 24 hours until Pope Francis steps foot onto Mexican soil it is important to remember which streets, Metro and Metrobús stations will be closed for the event. Friday, Feb. 12, Eje 1 Norte Fuerza Aérea Mexicana, Circuito Bicentenario, Río Churubusco, Río Mixcoac and Insurgentes Sur will be closed from 4:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 13, Insurgentes Sur, Eje 8 Sur Popocatépetl, Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas, José María Izazaga, 20 de Noviembre and la Plaza de la Constitución will be closed off starting at 5:45 a.m. On Sunday, Feb. 14, Insurgentes Sur, Avenida Patriotismo, Circuito Bicentenario José Vasconcelos and Paseo de la Reforma will be shut down from 5:45 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. In regard to the Metro system, the Allende and Zócalo stations on Line 2 and La Villa-Basílica station on Line 6 will be closed from starting on Feb. 12 until Feb. 13 at 8:00 p.m. On Friday, service will be suspended at the Boulevard Puerto Aéreo (Line 1) and the Hangares (Line 5) stations from 4:00 p.m. until 9 p.m. On Saturday, there will not be service at Doctores, Salto del Agua, San Juan de Letrán, Bellas Artes, Garibaldi (Line 8), Eje Central (Line 12), Lázaro Cárdenas (Line 9), Obrera and Garibaldi (Line B) stations from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m The stations at Pino Suarez (lines 1 and 2), Martín Carrera (lines 4 and 6), La Villa-Basílica (Line 6) and Deportivo 18 de Marzo (lines 3 and 6) will be closed on Saturday starting at 6 a.m. For Metrobús, Francia station on Line 1 will be closed all Friday. La Bombilla, Altavista, Olivo, José M. Velasco, Teatro Insurgentes and Río Churubusco stations on Line 1 will be closed Feb. 12-14. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Riobamba, Deportivo 18 de Marzo, La Villa, De los Misterios, Hospital Infantil La Villa, Delegación Gustavo A. Madero, Martín Carrera and Hospital General La Villa on Line 6 will be closed Friday and Saturday. All stations located between Buenavista and Mixcalco, Buenavista and Merced and San Lázaro and Terminal 2 del Aeropuerto will be closed all Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, Etiopia, Dr. Vertiz, Centro SCOP, Álamos, Xola and Las Américas stations on Line 2 will be closed all day. And Antonio Maceo, Parque Lira, De La Salle, Patriotismo and Escandón on the same line will be closed from 04:40 a.m. to 09:30 a.m. on Sunday. On Sunday Cuauhtémoc, Jardín Pushkin, Hospital General, Dr. Márquez, Centro Médico, Obrero Mundial and Etiopía stations on Line 3 will be shut down from 2 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.